LUCKNOW: Several muttonand chicken retail shops in the city were found to be open even after expiry of licences on Sunday. Meat sellers said they had no other option because shops were their only source of livelihood.
Licences of all meat shops in the city had expired on March 31. They had a grace period of 15 days during which licences were to be renewed. However, Lucknow Municiapal Corporation (LMC) refused to renew licences saying they would act only after receiving guidelines from the state government. The 15-day grace period expired on Saturday midnight. As a result, now all the raw meat shops in the city selling meat are 'illegal'.
With no way out, many meat sellers have opted to work without licences. A reality check by TOI found that meat shops were running in Aliganj, Mahanagar, Indiranagar, Chowk, Nakkhas, Maulviganj and Thakurganj. Sellers said they had opened shops to sell stored stocks, hoping that licences will be renewed.
"I opened my shop today to exhaust the stock. I will shut it from Monday," said Halim Quereshi, a meat seller on Victoria Street. A seller in Nishatganj said he needed money for admission of his child and the shop was his only source of income.
Lucknow Bakra-Gosht Vyapar Mandal has said it will organise a protest march on Monday from Shaheed Smarak to Vidhan Bhawan.
Meat sellers are struggling since March 20 when the state government ordered crackdown on unlicensed slaughterhouses and meat retail shops. They approached the high court which asked LMC to submit its action plan on renewal of licences and construction of modern slaughterhouses.
The next hearing is on April 19.
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